The Return Home
by Sunny Shadows
Summary: Riley returns home and is surprised by what she finds... Read and Review, please...
1. Freaking Wonderful

**A/N: This is a short first chapter, but following ones should be longer. I hope...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters... ):**

* * *

"Congratulations, Class of 2007!" 

Principal Herald's words echoed in my head as I woke up the morning after graduation. I couldn't believe that I was done with high school forever.

And that meant that I was leaving my aunt and uncle's house and going back to my parents' house. I still wasn't sure if going to my parents' was a good thing. I hadn't been there in almost eleven years, not even for summers or holidays. My parents hadn't even attended my graduation. Apparently, my brother's graduation was the same night, and, of course, they would rather attend his.

Anyway, I was going to have to spend my last real summer vacation away from my best friend Ellen and everybody else I knew. I'd be stuck alone for the summer, unless you count my loving parents...

How freaking wonderful.


	2. Good Bye

**A/N: I was going to wait to add this chapter until I had the next one ready too, but I figured that I might as well put it up now. Thanks for all the reviews! (: I can't believe how many people actually sent me one. Yes, the chapters will be getting longer, and I'll probably update again within the next couple of days...**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own any recognizable characters...**

* * *

"Riley, I can't believe I'm not going to see you anymore!"

Ellen and I were sitting on my bedroom floor. I had to be at the airport in an hour, and we were saying our good byes. I picked at the pink carpet that I despised. I didn't want to cry. I hated crying, especially in front of people, but it's hard to think that you're never going to see your best friend of eleven years again.

"You'll have to come visit me," I told her. "I'll be all alone. Most of the people in town are rich snobs and their prep school kids."

I wouldn't fit in. I had gone to public school since I was seven, since my parents had sent me to live with my aunt and uncle. My parents were incredibly wealthy, but my aunt refused to accept any money from my parents. I was sent to a public school, which wasn't as bad as some people make it sound, and I had to get a job to pay for my car. On the other hand, the kids in town had been spoiled, had been handed everything they'd ever wanted.

But there I go again, sounding bitter...

"Of course I'll come visit you." She grinned. "And you can show me all the hot guys you know."

I laughed. "Yeah, right."

I could tell that Ellen was trying to cheer me up and give me a pep talk before I left. She realized that she might be losing her best friend, but that I was losing my best friend and everything I had know for over a decade.

"Riley!" Jenny, my aunt, called from downstairs. "Honey, are you about ready to go?"

"Yeah..." I replied unenthusiastically.

Ellen handed me my shoulder bag and we headed downstairs. She wasn't coming to the airport with me. We had both decided that it would be better for us to say our good byes beforehand.

"Mike and I will be waiting in the car for you." Jenny left to give me and Ellen a chance to say our final good bye.

Ellen and I were both silent for a second. Neither of us could believe that I was really leaving.

Finally, Ellen sighed and pulled something out of her purse. "I know that we said that we wouldn't do this, but... I couldn't help it..."

I pulled a package out of my own bag. "Neither could I."

We both laughed and exchanged packages.

"Don't open it till I'm gone."

"I won't," she promised. "Same goes for you, though."

Mike honked the car horn outside. I looked at my watch. We weren't going to make it to the airport in time if we didn't leave soon.

"Okay. Well, I guess I'd better get going..."

"Yeah..."

Impulsively, I hugged her. Ellen was genuinely surprised. I wasn't really a hugging type of person.

"I'll call you when I get there," I told her as I walked out the door.

She nodded. I got into the car and Mike pulled out of the driveway. I didn't look back at Ellen. I just couldn't.


	3. Home Sweet Home

**A/N: Okay, so when I said updates would be coming in a few days... well, a few meant a lot... But, hey, the chapters are getting longer. Just like I said they would. But anyway, I've been sick, and I'm (FINALLY) getting around to doing stuff that should've been done MONTHS ago (like college stuff). Oops...**

* * *

When we pulled into the driveway, I let out an inward sigh of relief. I had felt like I was suffocating inside the car. My parents trudged up the walk to the house, and my brother helped me with my bags.

"Well, that wasn't totally awkward," I mumbled sarcastically as I reached into the trunk to grab my duffel bag.

"Try living with them everyday."

"Wow." I set the bags down on the floor in my room. "Looks like somebody did some major work in here..."

Before I had left, my room had been painted sky blue with white clouds, and it was filled with normal seven year old girly stuff--Barbies, stuffed animals, books... But, now, everything was a sterile white--the walls, the sheets, everything. It was almost blinding, like looking outside at snow on a sunny day.

"It looks like you guys have effectively erased me from your lives..." I was feeling pretty bitter. If they didn't want me, then why in the hell did I have to uproot myself to come here for the summer?

"Hey, who lied to their parents and went to Illinois to visit you?" He sounded kind of irritated. "Who e-mailed you and called you?"

He was right, and I knew it. He had snuck down to visit me a multiple times--mostly on holidays or sometimes weekends. We e-mailed back and forth a lot.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "When I said 'you guys,' I didn't really mean you."

He didn't get a chance to respond because his phone rang and he left. I sighed and flopped down on the bed. I had a lot of work to do in my new/old room.

But, before I got started, I had to call Ellen, like I had promised. I pulled my cell phone out of my pants pocket and dialed her number.

"Finally! I thought that your plane had crashed and you were on a deserted island with no service!" Ellen cried when she answered her phone.

"My room feels like a deserted island, minus the island part." I told her about my sterile bedroom and my parents.

We ended up talking much longer than I had intended to. My phone was almost out of money by the time we hung up ( I have a pay-as-you-go kind of phone), and it was nearly ten.

I stayed there, laying on my bed feeling my brain slowly rotting away, until I was jarred back to reality by the sounds of voices coming from downstairs. The voices definitely weren't from my parents. They sounded more like a bunch of teenage guys.

"Great. Just great," I mumbled to myself as I sat up and, as much as I really didn't want to, I went downstairs.

I stood there on the stairs for a moment just watching them. These guys had been my brothers friends since we were babies. They had grown up a lot (code for gotten hot) in the past eleven years.

Finally, they noticed me standing there. They stared at me like they didn't recognize me. I can't say they I blamed them. Eleven years is a long time...

"What, Reid? You don't remember me?" I laughed. "The last time I saw you, you put a worm in my hair."

You could almost see the light bulb flashing on in their heads.

"Riley?"

"You've certainly... Changed a lot," Reid said.

"I'll, uh, take that as a compliment," I replied.

"Hey, we were just on our way to Nicky's. Wanna come?" Pogue invited me.

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know she still hasn't said who her brother is, but I promise that it'll be in the next chapter! Please read and review!!! It'll make me write more and quicker!**


	4. Just Coke

**A/N: So here's the next chapter. Another should be coming soon... Anyway, please read and REVIEW! Thanks to everyone who did!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant or any recognizable characters...**

* * *

When I went downstairs, Caleb and Reid were waiting for me. Reid let out a low whistle. Caleb rolled his eyes. 

"Hard to believe that you and Tyler are twins."

"Where are Tyler and Pogue anyway?"

"Pogue took his motorcycle to meet Kate and Sarah," Caleb said.

"And we convinced Tyler that it wouldn't be fashionable for you to arrive at Nicky's with your brother," Reid added. "And Caleb," he clapped Caleb on the shoulder, "is my ride, so he had to stick around."

"And the fact that Tyler didn't want Reid alone in the house with you," Caleb only half-joked.

When we arrived at Nicky's, I was introduced to Kate, Pogue's long time girlfriend, and Sarah, Caleb's girlfriend. Kate led Pogue off to the dance floor, and Reid and Tyler pushed two tables together for us to sit at.

"I'm going to grab something to drink," Reid announced as everybody else sat down. "Anybody else want anything?"

"Just Coke," I said.

"Anybody else?"

Tyler shook his head, and Caleb and Sarah were talking intensely. Reid shrugged and headed off to the bar to order our drinks. While I waited for Reid to return, some blonde girl came over and asked Tyler to dance. Of course, he said yes and I was left alone with Sarah and Caleb. But, not for long. Sarah, apparently tired of the "discussion," stormed off.

Caleb and I sat in silence until Reid returned with the drinks.

"Here you go." He handed me my drink.

"What?" I asked halfway through my drink. Reid was watching me intently.

"Nothing. Wanna dance?"

I glanced over at Caleb who was still brooding over Sarah leaving. Poor guy. I didn't want to leave him sitting there alone. "I'll go if you go," I said to Caleb.

He looked up at me surprised. I had broken his trance-like state. "No. I don't really feel like dancing right now."

I stood up and pulled on his arm. "Come on. It's gotta be better than you sitting here all by yourself."

Reid rolled his eyes. "Yeah, stop pouting and come on."

"Fine."

Caleb allowed himself to be dragged out to the dance floor. We stayed out there for a good while. I wasn't really dancing with anybody, but at the same time I was dancing with Reid and Caleb. It's hard to explain.

When we sat down again, Reid grabbed me another drink. I tried not to gulp it down, but I was so thirsty that I couldn't help it.

"Whoa, slow down there," Reid said.

I was starting to feel warm, but I figured it was from the dancing.

* * *

**One hour and one drink later...**

"Tyler's gonna kill me if he finds out that Riley's drunk," Reid told Caleb in a low voice.

Caleb sighed. He knew that Reid probably deserved for Tyler to find out, but...

"Okay, fine. You keep Tyler busy. I'll take Riley home."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I'm getting lots of hits and few reviews... So, I'm not posting till I get more reviews... Or till I get bored enough and post anyway... Haha. PLEASE review. Even if it's just to tell me I suck.**


	5. Shit faced

**A/N: So, obviously, my threat didn't really scare anyone. Oh well. I tried. Anyway, thanks to everyone who did review. And thanks to those who are still reading. I promise, things will start to pick up soon! I have finally figured out pretty much the entire plot. It took me awhile, but I think it'll turn out okay.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant and/or any recognizable characters.**

* * *

The sun poked through the curtains of my bedroom and stabbed at my eyes. I flipped on to my other side and let out a groan. Whatever I had to drink last night definitely wasn't "just Coke." I made a mental note not to let Reid grab my drinks any more.

After a few more hours of sleep, a long shower, and some aspirin, I was beginning to feel better. It was already one when I headed downstairs for some food. Tyler, Caleb, and Reid were downstairs sitting in the kitchen.

"Good morning, sunshine," Tyler joked.

"Ha ha," I grumbled and shooting a glare at Reid, who in return sent me a pleading look like he didn't want me to tell Tyler. I grabbed some cherry Pop-Tarts out of the pantry and a bowl. "I'm just tired from everything, I guess."

Reid let out a visible sigh of relief. Good thing Tyler wasn't watching him.

"Mom and Dad are going to be gone for, like, a week," Tyler informed me.

"Really?" Not that I was complaining or anything. "Where are they this time?"

"I think they went to D.C. Then, they're going to be back for a day and leave for Hawaii for a two week vacation."

"They're not taking us to Hawaii, are they?"

"No."

"That figures." I took a bite of my Pop-Tart.

"Look at it this way," Reid said grinning. "You'll get to spend a whole bunch of time with us."

I gave him a look. "Oh great."

I looked over at Caleb. He was being incredibly quiet. He hadn't even said a single word the entire time I had been downstairs.

"Ignore him. He's still upset about his fight with Sarah," Reid explained. "But on a brighter note, there's a party tonight at Pogue's. For graduation."

"I think I'll pass," I told Reid. I didn't feel like a repeat of last night.

"Oh come on," Tyler said. "Live a little."

I shot another glare in Reid's direction. If only my brother knew...

* * *

Despite my protesting, I was dragged to Pogue's party. Caleb drove me over to Pogue's. He was looking slightly less depressed than he had earlier. 

"So why are you driving me over?"

"I figured you could use a break from Reid for a little while." Caleb didn't bother taking his eyes off the road.

"Yeah, no kidding," I mumbled.

Caleb looked over at me and grinned. "Just don't let him grab your drinks tonight."

If Reid came near me tonight, I was going to kick his ass. I didn't remember much from the night before. Everything after the second bout of dancing was pretty hazy. I didn't even remember how I had gotten home.

"So who all knows I was drunk last night?"

"Just me, Reid, and, of course, you."

"Uh, I didn't do anything stupid, did I?" I asked nervously. I had only been back for two days, and I didn't want to ruin everything already.

"No," he replied. "Reid came to get me as soon as he noticed you were full out drunk. He didn't want Tyler to find out. So, I drove you home while he kept Tyler busy."

I was happy to hear that I hadn't done anything stupid. I wasn't a drinker, and I definitely couldn't hold my liquor at all. I had better things to do with my time anyway, like work. Not to mention that Mike and Jenny would've killed me had they ever seen me drunk.

"We're here." Caleb parked along the curb in front of a mansion that looked pretty much like all the other ones in the neighborhood. The only reason you could tell that it was Pogue's was from the steady stream of teenagers going in the front door and hanging out on the front lawn.

We went inside and found my brother and the others in the backyard by the pool.

Reid had a beer in his hand. He offered it to me.

"She doesn't drink," Tyler said protectively.

"Yeah," I added with a raised eyebrow. "You of all people should know that, Reid."

"I guess I forgot," Reid retorted with a smug smile and an innocent shrug.

Lana, the blonde from Nicky's, came over and snatched Tyler away, Kate and Pogue disappeared, and Caleb and Sarah were "talking" again. Which left me and Reid. Again.

"Looks like it's just me and you..."

"Take another step towards me and I'll kick your ass." I was still pissed at Reid for spiking my drink. "And, if I don't, I'm sure Tyler will..."

"Point taken." Reid backed off. "I think I'm just gonna go mingle for awhile..."

Once Reid left, I wandered off into the backyard where there was a lot less people. After I took off my shoes and rolled up my pant legs, I sat on the edge of the pool and let my feet dangle in the water. I stayed there for a while, just listening to the sounds of the party going on inside.

I saw Reid's reflection appear behind my own. I didn't even bother to turn around. "Obviously, you didn't get my point."

"So what? You're going to sit out here by yourself all night just because you got drunk yesterday, which I've already apologized for?"

"You haven't apologized," I told him flatly. "I was just leaving anyway."

I put my shoes back on, fixed my pant legs, and headed inside hoping that Reid would take the hint and leave me alone. But, he did follow me as I pushed my way through the crowd and tried to get to the living room.

I was hoping to find my brother or Caleb so I could get a ride home. Well, I found Caleb pretty quickly.

The crowd in and around the living room was due to Sarah and Caleb's fight. Apparently, at one point Sarah got pretty nasty, but I only caught the tail end of it.

"We're over!" Sarah screamed at Caleb before storming out the front door.

"Harsh," Reid said from beside me.

The crowd broke up a little bit and dispersed into other areas of the house. I tried to go over to talk to Caleb, but he said he just wanted to be left alone. So, I went around looking for my brother, but I had absoultely no luck in finding him. Which means I was stuck at the party. I hung around for awhile, trying to be as invisible as I could.

I kept to myself until I saw that Caleb was completely shit faced. There was no way he was going to drive home tonight. I found Pogue and told him that I was going to take him upstairs to one of the spare rooms. Pogue okayed it, so I went back over to Caleb.

"Come on, Caleb," I said gently. "I'm gonna take you upstairs."

Luckily, Caleb didn't put up much of a fight. He followed me right up the flight of stairs and into one of the spare bedrooms. I pulled the covers back on the bed and then helped him with his shoes. I figured that he had probably done the same with me the night before, so I was just returning the favor.

"I like you much better than Sarah..." he mumbled as he crawled between the sheets. "You're a lot nicer than she is... Hey, you know who you remind me of?"

His eyes lit up with excitement as he waited for me to answer.

"Uh," I said stumped.

"Tyler!" he cried like it was some kind of amazing revelation. "You look _just_ like him. Except you have green eyes."

Oh. Well, yeah, I looked like Tyler. We were twins. But he was too far gone to realize that, I guess. So I didn't comment.

He got all depressed again. "Stupid Sarah," he said bitterly. "I saved her from Chase Collins and she dumps me..."

_Chase Collins?_ I didn't know who he was talking about, so I just thought it was some creep who had tried to hit on Sarah or something. Or it was just the ramblings of a drunk guy who was bitter. Either way, I just let it slide.

I started to move off the bed, but Caleb grabbed my wrist.

"Don't go," he whispered pleadingly.

I figured that he wasn't going to try anything, and even if he did, I could get away pretty easily, so I agreed.

"Okay. But you have to go to sleep." I didn't lay down, but I leaned up against the head board. Once he was asleep, I was going to move over to the chair.

Caleb laid his head down and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N: So there it is. Please, leave a review. All you have to do is hit that one little button and give me your opinion...**


	6. Sweet Dreams

**Mkay (yes, I did just say that.), I know Sarah was harsh in the last chapter, but trust me it's all important to the plot. Anyway, I never really liked her... Haha.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the Covenant and/or recognizable characters. And I for sure don't own the song (Hey There Delilah) in here. The Plain White T's do. Too bad...**

* * *

Reid was laying next to me when I woke up. 

"Riley Simms," he said softly. "Funny how we ended up like this..."

The next thing I knew, he was kissing me. And I was kissing him back, even though I didn't have any feelings for him. Things were moving along quickly, and they were about to get pretty graphic...

"Stop."

I was jarred awake by the sound of Caleb's voice. Reid was sitting in the forest green arm chair across from the bed, and Caleb was still next to me, just like he had been earlier.

"Have any good dreams lately, Riley?" Reid glanced smugly at Caleb, who was fuming.

I put two and two together. "That was _you_?" Okay, now I was pissed. I mean, it's totally wrong to mess with someone's mind like that.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Reid replied innocently.

Caleb opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off.

"Hey there Delilah

What's it like in New York City?

I'm a thousand miles away

But girl tonight you look so pretty

Yes you do

Times Square can't shine as bright as you

I swear it's true"

My cell phone. I scanned the room for it, but I didn't see it anywhere.

"Looking for this?" Reid held my purse up.

"Hey there Delilah

Don't you worry about the distance

I'm right there if you get lonely

Give this song another listen

Close your eyes

Listen to my voice it's my disguise

I'm by your side"

"Kind of a sappy song don't you think?" Reid rummaged through my purse and grabbed my cell phone out.

"Reid, give me my phone." I had had enough of his shit already.

He silenced me with a finger and flipped open my phone. "Hello? No, this is Reid. Riley's busy in bed with Caleb right now." He grinned over at me. "You're at the airport? Okay, I'll let her know."

He flipped my phone shut, put it back in my purse, and handed it to me. "Ellen's at the airport. She needs a ride."

"She's at the airport?" Why was she at the airport? She was supposed to be back in Illinois. If she flew out here without her parents' permission, she was as good as dead.

"Uh, yeah. Didn't I just say that?" Reid stood up. "So, get outta bed and let's go."

I just looked over at Caleb and rolled my eyes as Reid headed out the door. "One day, he's going to get his ass kicked."

* * *

"So is she hot?" Reid asked as we walked through the airport. 

"I don't know. I mean there's air conditioning in here, so she shouldn't be..."

"Ha ha," he replied sarcastically. "You know what I meant."

"Reid, she's off-limits. Especially to you." If something went wrong between Reid and Ellen, like, say, he was a jerk or something, I didn't want her and my friendship to be ruined. I had heard about enough of Reid's flings from Tyler to know better than to let Reid _near_ Ellen.

Silently, Caleb followed along behind us. He hadn't said much all morning. But he had agreed to drive us to the airport since neither I nor Reid had a car.

"Riley!"

That was definitely Ellen's voice. I scanned the crowd, but I didn't see Ellen.

"Over here!"

I turned a little more to my right and saw Ellen standing there waving.

* * *

**And here, I'm going to end the chapter. Soooooooo... Let your imagination run wild. And, while you wait for another update... Read my other Covenant story, Asphalt. By the by, thanks to everyone who reviewed, which wasn't many...**


	7. I've seen bigger

**Okay, I know this chapter is short, but between starting college and having zero inspiration for a while... Well, at least it's something, right?**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own!**

* * *

"So that's Caleb?" Ellen whispered excitedly and grinned. 

"Yes, but it's not what you think," I tried to tell her. Too bad I was wasting my breath.

"You have to tell me _everything_!" She gestured towards Reid. "Is that Reid? The guy I talked to on the phone? He's--"

I cut her off. "--full of himself. So don't inflate his ego anymore than it already is."

Reid turned halfway around in the passenger seat. "I _can_ hear you."

Caleb pulled into the driveway and parked. Reid got out of the car immediately and grabbed Ellen's bags before she even had a chance to open the car door.

"Thanks," she said and giggled a little bit.

I rolled my eyes. She only acted like this around guys she liked. Reid and Ellen went into the house.

"Thanks for the ride," I said to Caleb.

He just shrugged. He was still all moody over the Sarah thing. Right after I shut the car door, Caleb said, "Thanks for last night. I mean, for not letting me act stupid while I was drunk."

I smiled. "Just returning the favor."

He smiled softly. "Yeah."

As Caleb pulled out and drove off, I headed inside. Ellen was standing in the entryway gawking at everything. Reid had put her bags at the end of the staircase.

"Oh my god." She turned towards me. "You didn't tell me that you lived in a mansion! This place is _amazing_."

I just shrugged. I'd rather live in a smaller house with a real family than live in a mansion, but maybe that's just me.

"I've seen bigger," Reid interjected. "Maybe I could show you sometime..."

_Oh my god. I can't believe he just said that._ "Reid, I think you should go now. I mean, I'm sure Ellen's tired and wants to get unpacked."

"Actually, yeah," Ellen agreed. "But I'll see you around, right?"

"Yeah," Reid replied. "Definitely."

"Great." Ellen bounced off upstairs to explore and unpack her stuff.

As Reid was leaving, he smirked and said, "You can't keep her away from me forever, you know."

I just shut the door in his face.

* * *

**Anyway, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update and the more I'll write. So you do the math.**


	8. Fallouts and Boys

**Ugh, I can't believe how long it took me to put this chapter up. Stupid school. And work. Well, read and review... And, hopefully, enjoy...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant and/or any recognizable characters, but I do have a birthday coming up in a little over a month... (:**

* * *

I helped Ellen take the rest of her bags upstairs, and we put them in the empty room next to my room. When we were finished, Ellen sprawled out on my bed.

"Reid is _hot_."

"A total pain in the ass." I sat on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed. "Seriously, please don't give him an ego boost."

"Okay, so let's talk about Caleb." Ellen grinned. "I heard you were busy this morning."

I groaned. "If you mean busy as in being harrassed by Reid, then, yeah, I was very busy. Now, can we please change the subject? Nothing is going on between me and Caleb. He just broke up with his girlfriend--well, she just broke up with him. Whatever."

"Haven't you ever heard of a rebound?" Ellen asked me. "Perfect opportunity."

"Change of subject."

"I'm serious!" Ellen exclaimed. "Since you say nothing's going on, whcih I don't quite believe, now's the perfect time to start something. Caleb's hot, he seems nice, and he likes you. What more do you want?"

"You don't know that he likes me."

"Okay, so I don't know. But I can find out. And does that mean you like him?"

I shrugged.

"Oh come on!" Ellen tossed a pillow at my head.

I ducked and it landed on the floor. "I thought you were supposed to be helping me decorate my room, not destroying it."

Later, while Ellen and I were hanging up some posters Ellen had brought for me, Tyler appeared. Surprisingly, he looked no worse for the wear from the previous night.

"Hey, I 'm heading over to Reid's house in a little bit, if you guys wanna come."

Ellen looked at me expectantly, hoping that I would say yes.

"Reid didn't by chance tell you to ask us, did he?" I asked suspiciously.

Tyler smiled sheepishly. "Actually, he demanded that I ask Ellen, and he said that it was okay if you wanted to tag along too."

"Un-fucking-believable."

"I'll take that as a yes," Tyler called over his shoulder as he headed towards his own room.

"Un-fucking-believable," I repeated softly to myself.

"Maybe Caleb'll be there," Ellen said trying to cheer me up.

"Great. I love public humiliation," I grumbled.

"I'll ask him discreetly or drop a few subtle hints or something," Ellen assured me. "Nothing major."

I rolled my eyes. Ellen wasn't one for being discreet about pretty much anything.

"Well, I'm going to go change my clothes." Ellen hopped down from the chair she had been standing on. "You should too. Wear something... flirty."

Once Ellen left, I changed into a black T-shirt and jeans.

"Didn't I tell you to wear something _flirty_?" Ellen asked and rolled her eyes as she walked back into my room wearing a denim skirt and a pink top. She started flipping through the clothes in my closet. "Here, wear this."

I looked at the clothes she handed me: a tiny black skirt and a fairly low-cut shirt. "Do you want me to look like a hooker?"

She snatched the clothes back and stuffed them in the closet. She flipped around some more. "Fine, how's this?"

A sea foam green silk top that I had almost forgotten that I had. "Okay," I agreed. "Give me a minute."

Ellen grinned. "I'll be waiting downstairs."

Reid was waiting for us--meaning Ellen--when we arrived at his house, which wasn't all that different from Pogue's house, or mine for that matter. You'd think that if you had a lot of money that you would be maybe a little bit creative with your house, but apparently not...

Anyway, Reid had that stupid grin of his plastered all over his face as soon as he saw Ellen. I wanted to punch him just to get him to stop smiling. He whispered something in Ellen's ear, and she giggled and twisted a strand of her hair. I sighed. I was going to have to pull Ellen aside later and warn her about Reid, and I had a feeling that she--and Reid--wouldn't like it.

I allowed Ellen to pull me along into the sitting room. Reid sat down next to Ellen on the couch, and I sat on Ellen's other side. Tyler was messing with his phone (probably texting his new girlfriend...). We hadn't even been sitting down for a minute, when I noticed Reid's hand starting to creep up Ellen's thigh.

I jumped up. "Ellen, come with me?" I asked in an unusually high pitched tone.

"Yeah, um, sure."

Reid gave me a death glare as I whisked Ellen into the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" Ellen asked in an angry whisper.

"Um, hello? Did you not notice Reid's hand making its way up to your skirt?"

"Actually, I did. I don't see what the problem is." Ellen was giving me the same death glare Reid had. "I mean, unless you're jealous."

"Jealous?" Okay, now I was starting to get mad.

"Yeah. Reid likes me. Get over it."

I clenched and unclenched my fist, took a deep breath, and tried to keep calm. "You know what Reid was doing before you got here? Let's see... He got me drunk and hit on me every chance he got."

Ellen didn't seem very flustered by this information. "Well, he likes _me_ now. So stop trying to ruin it."

"I am _so_ sorry for trying to tell you what a womanizer Reid is! How long do you think it's going to last?!?"

"God! No wonder why Reid doesn't like you anymore!" She turned away to go back into the sitting room, but turned around again. She had a cold glint in her eyes when she added her final jab. "I bet Caleb doesn't want a cold fish like you."


	9. Raindrops keep falling

**This is short (again) but more should be coming soon. I think I have everything pretty much planned out...**

**Disclaimer: Only own original characters... Still...**

* * *

After taking a few deep breaths to keep myself from screaming, I reappeared in the sitting room. Ellen was practically sitting on Reid's lap, and I'm pretty sure that he knew what had happened from the smug smile he shot me. Tyler could see I was upset, but he didn't have a clue what was going on. My plan was to just walk out, but Tyler kept offering to drive me home. I guess he was trying to be "brotherly" and all that, but I just needed to be alone.

"Are you sure you want to walk home?" Tyler asked again as he followed me to the front door.

"Yes, Tyler," I repeated and opened the door. "I told you that I'll be fine. I just want to go home."

"Okay," Tyler finally relented. "I guess I'll see you later then."

I shut the door behind myself with a thud. It was good I was out of there; my anger had been welling up and was about to overwhelm me. One more smirk from Reid or one more bitchy, "cold fish" comment from Ellen would have put me over the top.

The grass crunched underneath my feet as I crossed the lawn to the sidewalk. The Garwins' sprinkler system was broken, and the grass had turned shriveled and brown from the lack of water. Something about the crunching sounds made me feel better; it helped ease my anger, but it didn't completely banish it.

I hadn't even made it to the end of the street when it started to drizzle. I was fine with that. I could deal with a little water. Maybe it would cool me off a little bit. That and I knew Ellen hated rain and water.

However, when it started to pour roughly two minutes later, I was less than enthralled. My good shirt was going to be ruined, my hair was plastered to my head, and my clothes seemed to be getting heavier and heavier from all the water they were absorbing. This was awful, but just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

A car pulled up beside me. A black Mustang. There was only one person who it could be, but I tried to pretend I hadn't noticed. The window of the car rolled down.

"Need a ride?"

Well, there was no ignoring him now. I ducked down to see inside the car, and, sure enough, Caleb was sitting there in the driver's seat.

"No thanks. I'm okay. I'm almost home anyway." _Leave Caleb. Don't look at me. I look like somebody tried to drown me._

"Come on," Caleb prompted. "You're soaked and you're shivering. You don't want to catch pneumonia or something."

He was right. I was freezing. "I don't want to get your car drenched or anything. Really, Caleb, I'm fine."

Caleb opened the door anyway. "Just get in."

So I slid into the passenger's seat and shut the door. The only sound in the car was the sound of water droplets hitting the seat with soft plunks after they slid down the tips of my hair.

"Caleb," I said shakily, "please tell me you didn't just make me do that."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "You just looked so miserable."

He was right about that part too. I just took a deep breath and looked out the window to keep myself from exploding. I hated this. I hated the power that these four guys had. They had untold powers that could do _anything_. Sure, it would drain them of life, but they could still control people like Reid had. Caleb had common sense, but Reid was a loose cannon, Pogue was reckless, and Tyler was easily swayed. Their power was exactly why my mother had sent me away, as much good as that had done. She hated their power too, but she couldn't do much about it—except to try to "protect" me.

Breaking my thoughts, I watched out of the corner of my eye as Caleb reached into the back seat.

"Here," he said and handed me a towel. "This was just something I kept for swim practice."

"Thanks," I mumbled, still kind of angry. I knew Caleb had good intentions, but still…

The ride back to my house was silent. I got out of the car without a word and Caleb didn't try to follow me to the door. He just sat in his car and watched me until I got in the house.

* * *

**That's the end of this chapter...**


	10. Brotherly Love

**UGH, I am SO disgusted with myself. I've had this chapter written for forever, and I thought I put it up, but apparently, I was a big dummy and didn't. Anyway, it's up now. And I am actually trying to work on finishing this story. Review and I'll try to post soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Covenant characters.**

* * *

Tyler came home around ten thirty, which was way early for him, and knocked on my door. I decided to ignore him; I had had enough of talking to people for one day. But, Tyler opened my door and came in my room anyway. Laying on my bed, like I had been for a few hours, I flipped onto my side so that I faced away from him.

Sitting at the end of my bed, Tyler asked, "What's going on?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled, but apparently I didn't sound very convincing.

"Come on," Tyler prodded. "You're as bad of a liar as I am."

"Fine, you _really_ want to know?" I asked irritably.

"That's why I'm asking."

"Reid's an asshole."

"Well, besides that," Tyler answered in a 'no duh' kind of tone. "Unless this is about him and Ellen…" Tyler got a look on his face. "Please don't tell me that you _like_ Reid."

Resisting the urge to slap him and tell him to open his eyes, I replied sarcastically, "Yeah, Tyler that's it. I am SO jealous of Ellen."

Tyler let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, then what is it? And you're going to have to be more specific than 'Reid's an asshole.' That's just the way he is."

"Tyler, you really don't have to do this," I said. We were in his car on our way to Reid's place. I told him about what Reid had done, and now I was beginning to regret it.

Tyler didn't reply, but pushed the accelerator down even harder. To put it lightly, he was pissed. I had tried to talk him out of going but he wouldn't listen to a word I said. He just stared intently at the road in front of him.

"Tyler, slow down before we get into a crash or something." I reached down to double check that my seat belt was on. I hated the way we were practically flying down the road when it was so dark out.

But he completely ignored me. He pulled into Reid's driveway and parked hastily. He barged into the house and found Reid within seconds.

"What's wrong with you, Baby Boy?" Reid asked from his seat on the couch, where he'd been watching some sports show. (Luckily, Ellen was nowhere to be seen. She probably would have accused me of stirring up shit.)

"You tell me, Reid." Tyler's eyes started to blacken.

Reid's gaze landed on me, and he understood what was going on. "I was just having a little fun."

That excuse didn't stop Tyler from throwing a ball of energy in Reid's direction.

Catching it, Reid said, "Are you sure you want to do this? There's a reason why we call you Baby Boy, you know."

Before Tyler or Reid could do anything else, I stepped in between them. Reid was right. Tyler hadn't ascended yet, so, like it or not, he was no match for Reid.

"Enough," I told both of them. "If you guys want to kill each other, I can't stop you, but don't do it on my account."

"What?" Reid asked snidely. "Feeling guilty? Did you forget to mention what happened with Caleb?"

Tyler looked over at me, his nostrils flaring. "What happened with Caleb?"

"Nothing." I glared over at Reid. "Just because you're pissy at me doesn't mean you need to involve Caleb. You're just trying to deflect the blame off of yourself."

"And you're just trying to cover your ass," Reid sneered. "Too bad Caleb already got it."

I slapped the smirk off his face and stormed out.


End file.
